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Sources: Donovan to be lead assistant for Spurs

ESPN · Jul 3, 2026, 12:36 AM

Key takeaways

  • Billy Donovan has agreed to become the lead assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs and head coach Mitch Johnson, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania and Pete Thamel on Thursday.
  • Donovan, 61, stepped down in April as head coach of the Bulls after six seasons.
  • Sources told ESPN at the time that Donovan planned to continue his coaching career and would be a viable target moving forward in the NBA landscape.

Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.

Billy Donovan has agreed to become the lead assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs and head coach Mitch Johnson, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania and Pete Thamel on Thursday.

Donovan, a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2025, joins the Western Conference champions after 11 seasons as an NBA head coach with the Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder, as well as two college basketball national titles with Florida in 2006 and '07.

Donovan, 61, stepped down in April as head coach of the Bulls after six seasons. The Bulls said at the time that they wanted the longtime coach to remain in Chicago but that they respected his choice.

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